The bun has finally baked long enough, the wine has finally fully fermented… However you want to look at it, the baby is here!

When

There are 11 days until the 12th pass.

Where

Infirmary, Igen Weyr

InfirmaryFrom the astringent smell of redwort, to the gleam of counter and cabinet, this place positively defines the concept of antiseptic cleanliness. Despite the yawning exit to the Dragonhealer Courtyard, the floors remain scrupulously swept of sand and particulate matter. Back behind the counter where the healers usually are, are shelves full of bottles and jars, as well as cupboards hiding away more delicate items that shouldn't be exposed to too much sand. Beyond the counter, there is the Desk, where patients are checked in and taken to one of the examination areas by a healer. The windows are usually kept open for the flow of air, but there is both shutters to shut out dust storms, and curtains for other occasions.

True to his promise, when he couldn’t be there all weird and stalkery, Oell ledt the little bronze firelizard ‘Daniel’ to watch over Eollyn. Which is probably why he’s now walking towards the infirmary and shoving the miniature bronze muzzle out of his face. “Ow, ow… faranth’s tits your breath stinks. I -get it-. I’m going. See? I’m almost there. “ He points. And the large immovable object otherwise known as Jafyth lumbers into the dragon infirmary chuffing his amusement. Nothing can possibly go wrong.

Eollyn hasn’t been in the infirmary for long; and actually, she was only here initially because it was time for a check up. Yuki, the healer who was assigned to her because of the possibility of a difficult pregnancy, had insisted on tri-weekly checkups (or maybe it was O’ell who’d insisted, and Yuki was just going along with it!) - and Eollyn, because the Vintner is as stubborn as they come - insisted that continuing to walk to her appointments would be good for her. It turns out she was right, because the walk up here today was a beneficial one. If only in that it meant she hadn’t been wasting time when her water broke. When O’ell joins the two women, Eollyn could definitely be labeled as annoyed - not at him, but just in general. “It had to choose today,” she says with a scowl. If we’re to be fair, however, Eollyn would have found issue with any day the babe decided it was time: wine is delicate when still fermenting, and while there’s not a lot she’s allowed to do for now regarding her wines and spirits, she is invariably possessive about the things she can. Could. Will continue to do. Nope, absolutely no possibilities of anything going wrong. Eollyn won’t allow it.

For a long moment, O’ell’s expression is rather akin to constipation. He much prefers to baby making process to the baby arriving process, honestly. And glancing between Yuki and Eollyn when he arrives, it’s really quite uncertain which of them he’s more ‘afraid of’ at the moment. “Well, we could try telling it to stay put for a few more days, but that seems a little awkward all around.” he points out, resorting to his special brand of humor in order to cope. “You should have waited for me to walk over.” he adds, with a slight scowl. See the scowl? He’s getting the admonition in before she starts the threats to cut off his manhood or something. Women are vicious creatures during childbirth.

Eollyn’s reply is a deepening of her own frown toward the father of her child. She would probably have found a reason to have issue with the day the child decided to come no matter what - today just happened to be one of the most important days of the wine’s fermentation. The most hapless of her apprentices is still around to mess things up, so she’s sincerely hoping Mayte has the matter in hand. “I was already on my way up for a checkup.” She retorts, used to his moods on this sort of thing by now. They’ve been practically living together for the last two months, so she’s had plenty of time to accustom herself to his behaviors. Well. Some of his behaviors, at least. “Yuki says it’ll still be a while.” After all, it’s only just got underway.

The only thing O’ell really knows about alcohol is… how good does it taste, and how fast can it get me wasted. The rest is just kind of icing on the cake, but he has at least maintained a genuine curiosity about the vintner’s work. His response to the answer of a checkup is more like a manly grunt than anything actually useful. “Awhile, huh?” Well… ok then. He deposits himself right into a chair and promptly begins twiddling his thumbs. One can almost hear him saying ‘Is it here yet? Is it here yet? How much longer?’. But he hasn’t survived this long out of sheer luck or anything. “Want me to sic Jafyth on Mayte? Make sure she’s not screwing shit up? Cause I can do that.” The big bronze can be a total pain in the ass. And he has nothing to do. He won’t even squish anything.

The gratitude on Eollyn’s face for him thinking to offer that is obvious, and she grins crookedly. “It’s not Mayte I’m worried about screwing things up…but if you’d have him check in on her?” The please is all in the upwards inflection. And then her frown’s back as another contraction hits. “Yeah, apparently they don’t pop out all at once.” Eollyn’s tone conveys the same feeling of ‘is it here yet?’ that he’s not expressing. Maybe if they act normal, it’ll come sooner? Eollyn’s sort of doubting that though, because why should anything about this child be EASY.

A glance out towards the exit and a briefly distant expression means that O’ell has done as asked. See, he can be a good boy! Sort of. “Sent a firelizard too. She’s going to want to break a bottle over my head.” Something, apparently, he takes some joy in, if his expression is any indication. “C’mon kiddo, let’s hurry this up, yeah?” Taptaptaptap. Oh yes, he’s going to fidget and thumbtwiddle and be ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.

In the end, it’s several candlemarks past Rukbat’s setting before the babe is finally born, and with great relief for all involved. For Eollyn, because it’s OUT (and secretly because YAY BABY!), for the baby because it’s OUT.. And both are healthy. Well, as healthy as a woman pushing a child out can be, and a child that’s just been born can be. Having the child they’ve made in her arms for the first time has considerably softened the woman, as seen by the undisguised love for the baby on her face. As much as she may have been disgruntled about being pregnant once she was in the third trimester, this moment is a moment she’s been looking forward to. “Told you it was gonna be a boy.” She finally says, with a grin directed at O’ell.

And a relief for O’ell because rocks didn’t fall and nobody died! He had definitely pulled the healer aside at the end though, asking several pointed and low pitched questions. Whatever it is the woman said to him (probably a verbal smack upside the head) seems to have settled him enough to enjoy the glimpse of tiny boy baby. And while reading anything at all in his expressions is nearly always futile, he does seem rather doting already. The blankets wrapping the poor child have been fussed with twice by his hand alone. “Yes, yes. You win the bet. “ he agrees, not even able to sound sullen despite a rather decent attempt. “Settle on a name yet?”

“I’ve had a few in mind.” Eollyn’s all too happy to change to the topic of the baby’s name, even as she offers the babe to O’ell. Because man must want to hold manspawn, right? Either way, however, she fusses with the boy’s blankets herself, and smiles a bit. “The girl name is irrelevant now, since, well, he’s not a girl.” Obviously, so observant are you, Eollyn! “I was thinking Odyn.” She’s probably teasing. Probably. Maybe? “Did you have any you’d thought of?” With the rush of it all over, Eollyn’s getting tired, but who wouldn’t be after such an ordeal? Either way, she disguises her yawn as best she can.

He might not have been expecting more spawn at this point, but obviously he takes to fatherhood (again) quite readily, cradling the newborn in the crook of his arm and brushing a finger against a tiny chubby cheek. “Odyn? I like that one. Odyn is it, then.” She’s the momma, and she picked a name starting with an O… so he’s not going to argue. He’s not so caught up in paying attention to the new life that he forgets about the one who pushed it out though. “Go on, sleep. I’ll make sure he’s settled into a bassinette beside the bed there so that you hear him when he wakes up.” he offers, turning one of his more charming smile’s her way. He has one or two of them stored away. The charming smiles, that is.

The view of seeing her baby - even if it’s not his first - being cradled by his dad just brings a smile to Eollyn’s face. “Odyn.” She agrees. Not much room for nicknames there, but with a name like that… You don’t really need one! His words earn a smile from her, and his own charming smile may just melt her heart a bit more. “Alright, alright, don’t turn on too much charm, the world might fall apart.” The Vintner teases, leaning over to brush fingers lightly against Odyn’s head of hair. “Thank you, O’ell.” She murmurs, kissing the ‘rider’s cheek. Sleep is definitely a necessity, and it’s one she’ll be ceding to, if only for a little while.